Electrical cabinet with two cooling channels

• US 8,072,752 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2007
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADC GmbH (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Wantschik, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFFBERG, ROBERT JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US12/301,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20090296321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• Field of Search: 361676-678, 36167948-6795, 361/679.54, 361/690, 361/692, 361694-695, 361/704, 165/47, 165/48.1, 165/53, 165/54, 165/185, 454/184, 312/223.1, 312/236
• US Class Current: 361/695
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/565 for cabinets

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical cabinet (1) for receiving electrical and/or electronic and/or optoelectronic devices, in particular low-current distribution devices, which is particularly suited for installation outdoors, comprising an inner cabin (2) and an outer cabin (3), a first cooling channel (12) and a second cooling channel (23) being configured to be bordering externally on boundary surfaces (6) of the inner cabin (2) and separated from each other.

Claims

1. An electrical cabinet comprising:

an inner box having a plurality of first circumferential walls that define first peripheral faces, the inner box also having an upper peripheral face;

an outer box having a plurality of second circumferential walls that define second peripheral faces, the plurality of second circumferential walls being spaced from the plurality of first circumferential walls;

a first cooling channel formed between the inner box and the outer box, the first cooling channel having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet in an upper half of the electrical cabinet; and

a second cooling channel formed between the plurality of first circumferential walls and the plurality of second circumferential walls, the second cooling channel being formed separately from the first cooling channel;

wherein the first cooling channel comprises a cooling section adjacent to the upper peripheral face of the inner box.

2. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet are arranged at or above a level of the upper peripheral face of the inner box.

3. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first cooling channel extends from a first side wall of the electrical cabinet to an opposite second side wall of the electrical cabinet, wherein, during operation of the electrical cabinet, a cooling fluid enters the first side wall of the electrical cabinet through one or more first fluid openings, flows past one of the first peripheral faces or the upper peripheral face of the inner box and absorbs output heat, and exits again at the second opposite side wall of the electrical cabinet through one or more second fluid openings.

4. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first cooling channel is configured such that the cooling fluid in the first cooling channel, during operation of the electrical cabinet, flows over a part of a surface of the upper peripheral face of the inner box, the part of the surface comprising a center of the surface.

5. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first cooling channel comprises a first active element, which assists a flow of the cooling fluid during operation of the electrical cabinet.

6. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first side wall and the opposite second side wall are configured such that when the electrical cabinet is installed adjacent to a further identical electrical cabinet, during operation of the electrical cabinet, a common first cooling cycle is formed in the electrical cabinet and the further identical electrical cabinet.

7. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein a base wall of the first cooling channel forms the upper peripheral face of the inner box.

8. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first cooling channel passes horizontally through the electrical cabinet.

9. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second cooling channel comprises at least one intermediate space formed between the inner box and the outer box along the first peripheral faces of the inner box.

10. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 9, wherein an intermediate cover is arranged such that the intermediate space between the plurality of first circumferential walls of the inner box and the plurality of second circumferential walls of the outer box is delimited at a top of the second cooling channel, and wherein a second active element is positioned in at least one opening in the intermediate cover to assist directing a further cooling fluid flow upwards or downwards along the plurality of first circumferential walls of the inner box.

11. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second active element is configured to be operated such that the further cooling fluid flows in a downwardly directed fluid flow along the plurality of first circumferential walls of the inner box.

12. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 10, wherein the intermediate cover is arranged above the first cooling channel, wherein the further cooling fluid flow in the second cooling channel, at least to an extent, flows around peripheral faces of the first fluid channel, which do not adjoin the inner box.

13. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 10, wherein the intermediate cover extends downwards towards at least one of a front side and a rear side of the electrical cabinet.

14. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second cooling channel comprises one or more fluid entry openings in a lower half of the electrical cabinet and comprises fluid exit openings in the upper half on at least one of a front side and a rear side of the electrical cabinet.

15. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein an upper cover delimits the second cooling channel at a top of the second cooling channel.

16. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner box and the outer box each comprise an element which is configured to be opened on at least one of a front side and a rear side of the electrical cabinet.

17. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner box is planked.

18. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner box comprises an EMC shield.

19. The electrical cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner box and the outer box are produced from metal or foamed plastic.

20. An arrangement of electrical cabinets comprising:

a plurality of electrical cabinets positioned in a row, each electrical cabinet of the plurality of electrical cabinets including a sealed inner box and an outer box enclosing the sealed inner box, the outer box of the each electrical cabinet including opposing side walls, one of the opposing side walls of a first electrical cabinet of the plurality of electrical cabinets facing one of the opposing side walls of an adjacent electrical cabinet of the plurality of electrical cabinets, the each electrical cabinet also including a first cooling channel formed between the inner and outer boxes, the first cooling channel extending along a top of the sealed inner box, and a second cooling channel formed between the inner and outer boxes, the second cooling channel being isolated from the first cooling channel,

wherein the first cooling channel of the first electrical cabinet aligns with the first cooling channel of the adjacent electrical cabinet to form a common first cooling cycle.